updated 07:25 am EDT, Wed October 8, 2008

BlackBerry Storm at VZW

Verizon and RIM today at last formally introduced the American version of the BlackBerry Storm, RIM's first touchscreen phone and Verizon's most direct competitor to the iPhone. The handset centers on a 3.25-inch, 480x360 display which includes a unique physical "click" to partly recreate a physical button press. In Verizon guise, the smartphone is also special for its inclusion of both EVDO Revision A for cellular data as well as single-band HSPA, giving it 3G access on some networks outside of North America. Calling is also available on CDMA and quad-band GSM/EDGE.

The previously launched Vodafone version is focused only on international markets and supports just the GSM, EDGE and HSPA networking.

Software is also important to the Storm, the companies say. The interface is a modification of the latest BlackBerry OS and uses an accelerometer to allow full HTML browsing, media playback and messaging (including MMS) in either portrait or landscape views. In addition to BlackBerry push e-mail, the phone also carries Documents To Go for editing Microsoft Office documents and enables full Bluetooth with stereo audio versus the headset-only use of its Apple rival.

The Storm carries a 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash as well as GPS for navigation but lacks Wi-Fi. In exchange, a larger-than-usual 1,400mAh battery nets the device about six hours of 3G calling when on those networks. As with the Bold, only 1GB of optionally lockable storage is included but is compensated by a microSDHC card slot that currently holds up to 16GB of removable storage. The battery is also removable, RIM says.

Despite the long teaser campaign, Verizon still declines to provide release dates or pricing and says that these will be available in "coming weeks." Informal expectations have the phone launching in mid-November.

Why on such a small screen do manufacturers waste space? Twice on this screen they tell you that you have 3 messages. Thanks I got it the first time. In fact, all they had to do was put a little 3 on the messages icon. Then, they put the date on the top when all they needed to do was have a dynamic icon for the calendar with the current date. More saved space. Ditto for the time.

But in the end, the only thing that really separates one s*** touchscreen device from another is the OS, and at this time the iPhone, with all its flaws, is still way ahead of the competition. Way ahead.

The message icon at the top tells you you have three email messages. That is there all the time. As it should be.

The text that says "(3) messages" above the menu is NOT there all the time. It is only there when you are hovering above that icon. I.e. if you were above contacts, it would say "Contacts" instead.

The red asterisk icon is there to let you know which email box has the messages. Since the blackberry allows for multiple accounts, you may have three email accounts set up. The red asterisk tells you which of the three the new email is in.

The date is at the top so you can see it when you write an email. Your idea of a dynamic icon would not allow for that. Nor would it show the date when you were on the phone... or any other time the menu is hidden.

You are pretty concerned with wasted space, but apparently have no concern for wasted time; namely, the time we both spent regarding your incorrect statements.

It's way, way ahead because it's running a stripped down version of MacOS X on there, with the full BSD kernel, POSIX compliance, access to GNU userspace tools, and an incredibly rich set of APIs brought over from their desktop OS, along with a new set of APIs directly targeting a touch display. Apps written for the iPhone can be significantly more sophisticated with much less effort than when targeting this device. It may take jailbreaking to realize how advanced the iPhone OS is, as once you get under the hood, you realize how much is hidden under there.

BB is not "TAKING", it is TRYING to keep up with the iPhone.When you came with something revolutionary, like Apple did with the iPhone, iPod, or Panasonic and Sony with OLED screens, or Samsumg with the Nano silver filters, you have made a revolution in that area, but when companies like Nokia, BlackBerry and HTC modify their entire product line to "Look Like" other device, they are not taking on it, they are trying to keep up with that device. I have already tried the HTC and they are far behind from apple's usability.

How many "iPod Killers" still out there from many years and iPod still having 80% of market share?iPone is way to advance for BB and Nokias and the rest. Do you know you can play piano and guitar with more that 3 simultaneus touches in the screen of the iPhone? (sent from iPhone)

according to most apple users, the world is flat and only truth is apple products... ipod's market share is 80 because apple spent huge amount of money in marketing, there are many good products far better quality and specs than ipod and a lot less limitations than apple freaks can imagine...every new product coming from apple is getting less quality more plastic and crappy breaking parts and softs nowadays... the more products line they have the more trouble they ll get... people are going to space now, apple still insists and force people to use c*** technologies, because they will make more money every quarter...good advertising, bad and misleading information... you dont need to lie to customers bcoz they are stupid enough to differanciate...

To be honest, I don't know enough about your tech jargon to even respond to that. What does that mean to me as the end user? Not a developer. And don't tell me better apps, because at this point there are some pretty advanced applications for both.

Could one not make the argument, that building a phone OS from the ground up is better than taking a computer OS and stripping it down for a phone? The blackberry OS has been tried and tested for the last decade. It doesn't lack fundamental functions like copy and paste, background tasks, and history has shown its security flaws.

I assume you are either high, or a shill for someone. The one reason the iPod market share is 80% is the fact that it works... I will not go into more detail, but you obviously prefer to be contrarian.

Do you think the beautiful stainless steel and glass used on the iPod Touch really constitutes "less quality and more plastic and crappy breaking parts"? I don't know of another comparable product on the market that uses material anywhere in the same league - period.

The iPhone is an iPod with a phone attached (essentially... I realize I'm simplifying things here) -- there is NO WAY for Blackberry to compete with that. Seriously. The iPod Touch and iPhone are integrated with iTunes on whichever type of computer you use (Mac or Windows) and it works like you have a mini computer in your pocket.

The Blackberry has a lot of nice features, I'm sure, but for most non-business people, the iPhone is more fun (because it's essentially an iPod that can access wireless and the AT&T network).

Basically, the iPhone took two devices (cell phone and iPod) and combined them into one device. Blackberry did not do this -- if you own an iPod and you buy a Blackberry, you still will use both -- whereas, you buy an iPhone, it becomes your iPod AND phone.